Between Us
by MyNameIsCAL
Summary: Jeb betrays the flock once again, leaving Fang for dead.  Max cannot stand to watch Fang be in pain, but can she find a way to save him before it's too late?  Max's POV...Fax!
1. Chapter 1

**Between Us – Chapter 1**

By MyNameIsCAL

**Disregarding what happened in FANG, here's a story I thought up of staring at stuff in a mall through glass when I was window shopping. The glass was pretty much all the inspiration I got from the mall. I believe the rest came up from just having finished "Panic in Level 4" by Richard Preston which made me think about "The Hot Zone". If anything, this could have possible taken the place of FANG, seeing as Max and Fang will grow closer in this story as their romance bloomed in FANG.**

**Another story, another ride to take. I give all credit to James Patterson for Maximum Ride, the characters (The flock: Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, Angel and Dr. M and Jeb), and the event that made them up before I take them and shape them on my own. Ella appears to be absent in this story, and I know she should be in here, but let's just pretend she's off to school or something. I felt things were too complicated if I had to throw her in there.  
**

-Max's POV-

**DAY ONE**

I stared at Fang through the thick glass. He sat on a hospital bed, wires hooked up to him, staring back at me. His lips moved, but I couldn't hear him.

"I can't hear you," I replied, but I knew he couldn't hear me either.

Mom came up next to me. She pressed a button and now I could hear him.

"How are you?" Fang repeated.

I leaned against the glass. It was cold. "Why are you worrying about me?"

He shrugged, his eyes meeting mine. The truth was that I was far from being okay. Here we were in the basement of Mom's house, Fang on one side of the glass, me on the other. Jeb, that traitor, decided he was going to try out his own experiment. A virus that could wipe out people like us. One night, he forced Fang into the basement, a place that we let Jeb have to call his own. Down there, he injected Fang with the virus. Sort of like a strain of the avian flu that didn't affect humans. There was a cure, but Jeb had it and he refused to help us. At first, he said that Fang would feel better after a few days. Mom did some testing and some yelling at Jeb. He told her the truth, one that was crushing, one that I still had yet to tell the rest of the flock.

"The medicine is keeping his fever down," Mom assured me. "I'll be back later. I have to run to my office and get some more medicine. You can use the suit if you want to go in."

"Alright, thank you," I said quietly.

She nodded, leaving Fang and I alone.

"I'm dying, Max." Fang's voice shook as he rose, walking towards the glass.

"Don't say that."

"No, you know what Jeb said to Mom. Whatever this is, it's going to kill me because Jeb's a selfish jerk." He leaned against the glass. "He has to prove that it'll kill me no matter what Dr. M does for me. And Angel even said…"

"We're going to find a way to get that cure," I whispered, pressing my hand against the glass. "I don't care what Angel said."

He lined his hand up with mine. "You have to prepare for the worst. You have to tell the flock what's going on. If you don't, Angel will just tell them anyway."

I leaned my forehead against the barrier between us, my eyes closed. It was cold to the touch.

"Angel said I was going to die, Max," Fang said quietly. "She's never wrong. We're not invincible."

It took me a while to open my eyes, to gain control of my emotions. The one thing I told myself: I wasn't going to cry in front of Fang.

"Go tell them," he repeated.

I watched him walk back towards the bed. He sat down and downed his glass of water.

"I need to rest," he muttered. "Go tell them. I'll see you later."

"Fang…"

He began to lie down. "Yes, Max?"

"Just promise me you won't give up."

"I promise. You know I wouldn't."

"I know."

He hesitated. "Go, Max."

I turned, pushing the button off, heading back up the stairs to find the rest of the flock. Iggy was in the kitchen, music blasting, swaying to the beat, stirring cookie batter. As soon as I walked in, he cut the music.

"Something wrong, Max?" Iggy turned to face me, his eyes still finding me even though they were sightless. I felt weak suddenly and he moved towards me, pulling out a chair.

"Max, your silence isn't good," he said after a while, his pale blue eyes showing concern now. "Hey, c'mon now, I'm making cookies. Max…"

Nudge skipped into the kitchen, taking a seat on Iggy's lap.

"Hey, Max, when are Jeb and Fang getting back?" she asked. "I mean, aren't we leaving here tomorrow?"

"Jeb isn't coming back," I managed to say.

"What do you mean?" Iggy asked, his hand resting on Nudge's shoulder.

I closed my eyes. "Jeb is gone again."

"What do you mean gone?"

Gazzy entered the kitchen now, Angel following.

"Hey, do we still keep soda in the basement or did Jeb move it out?" Gazzy asked, opening the basement door.

"No, Gazzy, don't go down there!" I stood, but it was too late.

"Fang!" Gazzy shouted.

They all got up and followed him down. After a moment, I stood and went after them.

* * *

Mom set a plate of food in front of Fang. He sat on his side of the glass and I sat on mine, the small tables on each side pressed up against the glass.

"Max, go eat with everyone else," Fang grumbled, picking up his fork.

"I'm not going to let you eat alone."

He sighed, thanking Mom for the food, even though it was Iggy that had cooked it. She gave me a small smile before leaving us alone. After taking a few bites, he began to cough. That was new.

Fang held up his hand. "I'm fine."

I wanted to laugh and to cry. He wasn't fine. He was far from fine, and yet here the two of us were, trying to lie to ourselves and in denial that the worst could happen. Fang was dying and the chances of getting the cure back were slim.

He went back to eating.

"I'm sorry that the others found out the way they did," I told him.

His eyes met mine. "Well, they had to find out some way."

I suddenly wasn't hungry anymore. My fork dropped to the floor and I could feel tears streaming down my face. Fang leaned against the table.

"Please don't cry, Max." Behind the glass, he looked helpless. I wanted to go in there, I wanted him to put his arms around me, to tell me things were going to be okay, but he couldn't.

And for the first time in my life, I saw Fang cry.

* * *

**DAY ONE means one day since Jeb injected him. I'm not sure whether I'll break each chapter into a days or not. Thanks for reading! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Between Us – Chapter 2**

By MyNameISCAL

**DAY TWO:**

I woke up early to find Iggy sitting in the kitchen. His eyes seemed to be dancing around the room. Then they fixed themselves in my direction.

"Morning," Iggy said, pulling out a chair for me.

The walk from the doorway to the chair seemed like miles. Iggy looked tired, like he hadn't slept.

"Do you think you could make breakfast?" I asked him. "For Fang?"

"Of course." He stood, making his way to the fridge. Then he stopped and turned back to me. "How bad is it, Max?"

I closed my eyes, not wanting to talk about it. "It's pretty bad, Ig."

Iggy let out a sigh and asked nothing more, beginning his process of cooking. The smell of food wafted through the house, drawing the rest of the flock to the kitchen. When Iggy was done, scooping food onto a plate, I headed down to the basement alone. Fang stood slowly, walking towards the glass. I headed to the decontamination chamber and pulled on the suit before going through another chamber and entering the room.

"Thanks, Max," he said, almost weakly.

I set the plate down on the table before taking a seat on the bed. He looked at me and sighed.

"You look ridiculous in that suit," he remarked.

"Yeah, well, I wish I didn't have to wear it," I grumbled.

He frowned, picking up his fork. "You shouldn't be in here."

"And you'd rather me be on the other side of that glass?" I pointed.

"I'd rather you be safe."

A voice suddenly blasted through the speaker system.

"Max, Jeb's car just pulled into the driveway."

I stared at Gazzy. "Okay, I'm coming out."

Fang let out another sigh and started to eat as I decontaminated the suit and hung it up. I was going to kill Jeb. Well, I was going to kill him after he gave me the cure for Fang.

"Jeb!" I roared as he let himself in.

"Max, hello." His calmness only angered me more and I felt Iggy grab me by the arm, ready to be restraint.

"You can't just let him die like that!" I screamed in his face.

Jeb pulled off his glasses and wiped them. "Max, it's for the greater good. You'll understand someday that it isn't such a great loss."

Iggy's grip tightened around me as I lunged forward, missing Jeb by an inch.

"Now, now, Max. Behave. I have an offer."

I waited impatiently.

"I'll give Fang the cure if you come with me," Jeb said slowly. "And you'll leave the flock too. Someday, you're all going to need to go on your own, be leaders elsewhere. They need to learn to grow without you holding their hands, Max."

"Never!" I spat in his face.

Jeb sighed. "And I'll find someone for you, Max. Someone better than Fang."

Iggy put his hand on my shoulder, holding me back as I tried to claw at Jeb, but I was stronger and unfortunately, I had the advantage being able to see as Iggy hadn't quite adjusted to his surroundings yet. After kicking back and sending Iggy into the wall, I punched Jeb in the face and he crumpled to the floor.

"Oh my God," Nudge gasped.

"Find his keys. I want to search his car."

Gazzy found the keys and tossed them to me. We headed out, leaving Nudge to tend to Iggy. I felt like an asshole for doing that, but we needed to try and fight for a chance for Fang.

But after searching the car, there was nothing.

"He wouldn't be stupid enough to bring it with him," Angel stated. "C'mon, Max, he knows what we're capable of."

I scratched his door with the keys and then kicked it, making a dent. It wasn't any use. We were wasting time and there wasn't much of it left.

It took me a while to go back inside, by then, Iggy was out of the hallway and Jeb had regained consciousness.

"That's the offer, Max. I'll give you some time to think about it, but you better decide before it's too late." He adjusted his glasses and took the keys from me. A few seconds later, I heard the car pull out of the driveway. Gazzy and Angel stared at me for a while, waiting for me to say something, to direct them somewhere, but I couldn't. I walked past them into the kitchen.

"Are you okay, Iggy?"

Iggy sat, holding an icepack on his knee. "I'll be alright."

Everyone took a seat at the table, still expecting me to say something to them. Finally, Gazzy broke the silence.

"So what are we going to do?"

"I don't know, Gaz. There has to be another way to get to Jeb." I rubbed my eyes. "I…I can't think straight."

"But there must be something we can do," Iggy interjected.

I stood, heading to the basement. "The one thing you can do now is prepare for the worst."

No one said anything to me after that and I went down the stairs, taking a seat in front of the glass. Fang was in the middle of a coughing fit and I didn't press the speaker button until he finished.

"Did you take your medication?" I questioned.

He nodded. "You're upset, Max. Why?"

His voice was hoarse and he coughed again, resting his hand against the glass. I put mine up to it and he gave me a brief half smile.

"What did Jeb want?" He asked, taking a seat.

"He offered me the cure for you." I took in a deep breath. "In exchange that I go with him and never see any of you again."

"You're not going to do that, Max?" For a moment, he sounded scared.

"If that's what's going to save you, Fang, then maybe that's our only option," I answered.

"No, you can't do that!" It was like he regained strength. "I will come after you if you do that, even if that means the end of me, Max!"

"Alright, Fang," I said, watching his heart rate spike on the monitors he was hooked up to. "I don't know what I'm going to do."

He coughed, leaning against the glass. "Why don't you go out and get some air, Max?"

I nodded slowly and he moved back to the bed, lying down.


	3. Chapter 3

**Between Us – Chapter 3**

By MyNameIsCAL

**DAY 3:**

Mom had to help Fang into the chair by the glass wall. He pressed his hand against the glass as he did every time I came down here. I pressed the speaker button.

"The medication isn't keeping the fever down anymore," he breathed out. "Mom is going to try to double the dose, it might work for a while."

His hand slid down the wall, resting on his lap.

I shut my eyes, hoping I might open them to something better, but nothing changed when I did.

"How did flying go yesterday?" Now he was going to distract me.

"I wish you could have gone with me," I responded.

He closed his eyes. "Max…"

I sucked in a breath, trying not to cry.

* * *

**DAY 4:**

Doubling the dose seemed to work, but Fang was having trouble getting out of bed now. He refused to let me go in though, so again I sat outside the glass helpless. But I felt like he was the one trying to keep me happy instead of me trying to make him feel better.

The flock was trying to carry on, find some sense of routine. Iggy cooked most of the meals, Nudge kept herself busy with the computer, and Angel kept away from us, Gazzy insisting she didn't want to hear our thoughts.

Jeb had left a message, asking to talk to me, but for now, I wouldn't let him tempt me.

* * *

**DAY 5:**

"Let me help you," Mom insisted.

But Fang shook his head, pushing himself off the bed. He took a few steps forward, his legs a little shaky. It was only a few steps from the bed to the glass, but he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks and fell to the floor.

"FANG!" I shouted.

He clenched his hands into fists. Mom knelt down next to him.

"He's burning up," she whispered.

Fang closed his eyes. "I'm fine."

"You need to get back in bed," Mom said, trying to pull him up.

But he sat up, pushing her away, and grabbed onto the chair, pulling himself into it.

"Max…" He leaned his head against the glass, putting his hand against the glass. "Max…I want you to…I want you to know something."

I put my hand to his.

"Max…I…I want you to know that…" He coughed a few times. "I want you to know that I love you, Max."

"I…I love you too, Fang."

His eyes met mine and even though tears were streaming down my face, he gave me a small smile.

* * *

**DAY 6:**

Fang remained in bed, talking to me in a strained voice. It was hard to watch him like this, like there was a greater distance besides the two inch glass wall.

"I'm gonna go up and get your food, alright, Fang?" I told him. "And Mom will bring it in for you."

He opened his mouth to say something, but then began to cough, his head against the pillow. I waited for him to catch his breath, but when he rolled back, there was blood on the pillow.

Fang stared at me.

"I'll get Mom."

He closed his eyes and nodded.

* * *

**DAY 7:**

I couldn't watch Fang suffer anymore. He could barely feed himself now, and no matter how many times I insisted on going in to help him, Fang refused.

"Max."

"Yeah, Ig?"

Iggy took a seat next to me. "It's late."

"I know, Ig."

He held out a plate in front of me. "I made them with Mom."

I took a cookie and ate it slowly.

"Everyone's worried about you," Iggy said, putting the plate down.

"You shouldn't be worried about me."

"Max, you told us to prepare, but you have to too." Iggy paused for a moment, as if he was calculating every single word he said to me. "I don't want to lose him either, but what more can we do for him?"

"I'm not just gonna give up on him."

Iggy sighed and took a cookie, eating it as if only to distract himself now.

"Thank you for the cookies," I told him.

He nodded and stood, leaving me alone.

* * *

**DAY 7:**

I sat watching Fang eat slowly. Mom had to work, so there was no one to assist him.

"Fang, let me help you," I pleaded.

His eyes flickered to me.

"Please," I added.

Fang closed his eyes. "A..Al…Alright."

I pulled on the protective suit and went through decontamination. Fang looked thin. He was never hungry, but nevertheless he forced himself to eat. I took a seat on the edge of the bed and started to spoon soup into his mouth. It was a slow process, but at least he wasn't struggling to do it himself.

"Max, I need to know your decision."

The voice scared me and I almost spilled the soup on Fang.

"Jeb, I can't leave the flock," I replied firmly.

"Then Fang dies."

"I need your help Max. I practically raised all of you, at least do this one thing for me," Jeb begged.

"You betrayed us," Fang said in a low growl.

"I'm asking for your help, Max. I wouldn't do this unless I cared about all of you, and I do. Max, please, come and we can stop all of this. It'll be for their safety," Jeb tried to explain.

"No," I told him.

"Then Fang will die."

I put my hand on top of the mask I wore. "Then I'll go with him."

"NO, MAX!" Jeb ran towards the decontamination room, but it was too late. I pulled the mask off and took in a breath of air.

"Max…" Fang coughed before he could continue.

"DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'VE DONE?" Jeb exclaimed. "HAVE YOU ANY IDEA WHAT THE CONSEQUENCES WILL BE?"

The flock came rushing down the stairs. They all stared at me.

"Holy shit, Max what the hell are you thinking?" Iggy cried out once Nudge told him what was going on.

I dropped the mask to the floor and stripped of the suit.

"You'll be sorry, Max," Jeb hissed.

"I'd rather be dead than help you," I shot back.

He turned on his heel, pushing through the rest of the flock. Gazzy came up to the glass.

"Mom is going to be upset," he said quietly.

I heard Fang coughing behind me.

"That's the least of our problems now, Gaz."


	4. Chapter 4

**Between Us – Chapter 4**

By MyNameIsCAL

**DAY 7 CONTINUED:**

Iggy brought everyone back upstairs, leaving Fang and me alone.

"Max…" Fang shook his head. "Why?"

But he didn't wait for me to answer. Instead, he wrapped his arms around me, crying.

"Shhh…Fang," I whispered. "It's gonna be okay."

* * *

**DAY 8 (DAY 1 for MAX):**

I lay in bed next to Fang. He had his eyes closed, an arm loosely around me. During the night his fever had spiked and I could feel him almost radiating heat now.

"You know you're an idiot." Fang spoke into my ear, shaking as he did so.

I leaned my head against him. "Well, maybe Jeb will give in and try to save one of us."

"I hope it's you."

I knew that I had a better chance than Fang, but if Fang really wasn't going to kick this, at least he wouldn't be alone.

Fang kissed my forehead. "How are you…how are you feeling?"

"Just tired."

"Will you promise me something, Max?"

"Anything," I heard myself respond.

"If I don't get out of here alive, don't bury me." Fang took my hand. "Go fly somewhere we've been before and sprinkle my ashes, somewhere you'll go to feel safe."

"We're going to make it, both of us."

"I…I need you to promise me though."

"I promise, Fang."

His grip loosened on my hand. "Thank you."

Sometime later, Mom came down with our food. She came in and set down the tray on the table, still looking upset. When she came home to find me in here, it took Iggy a long time to calm her down. I hated to see her cry.

"When the flock's done eating upstairs, they want to come down and see you," Mom informed me, and then added, "If it's alright with you."

"Of course," I nodded, taking the tray to the bed.

She retreated out and I took a seat on the edge of the bed, helping Fang prop himself up with some pillows. I fed him and he chewed slowly, like it pained him. My food was cold by the time I got to eating, but I didn't tell him that.

"There's a cookie," I said. "Do you want to share it? Iggy probably made it."

Fang shook his head.

* * *

"How is he?" Iggy asked me, sitting in a chair just a foot away from the other side of the wall.

I glanced at Fang, now asleep, drowsy from the new dosing of medication.

"Exactly what are you expecting me to tell you?" I asked Iggy.

He shook his head. "I don't know, Max."

The rest of the flock was in bed now, or trying to sleep, as Iggy had put it. With Fang and I trapped here, it left him to be in charge. I'm not sure he wanted to have to deal with everyone.

"How were the cookies?" Iggy leaned back in his chair. "Mom wasn't around too much and I made them myself."

"They were good, Ig." I felt relieved for some reason.

He let his own look of relief slip. "Did Fang eat any of them?"

"After dinner he did."

"I don't know why it matters," Iggy shrugged. "But Max, you must have a plan."

"The plan is to hope Jeb will come through and offer us a cure," I told him.

"You think he'll come back?"

"Jeb needs me to do whatever evil he's up to," I told him. "He'll be back, sooner than later, hopefully."

Iggy stood, his hand sliding across the glass. "Is that all we can do, Max? Just hope for the best?"

"Well, what other choice do we got, Ig? It won't be long before I start to get sick. Fang took less than a day." I let out a breath. "Go to sleep, now, Ig. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

He nodded. "Alright, goodnight, Max."

* * *

**DAY 9 (DAY 2 for Max):**

"Max, Jeb is here."

I hated not being able to hear anything on the other side of the glass without using the communication system. Iggy stood at the bottom of the stairs, out of breath.

"Alright, send him down."

Jeb came down in a rush.

"What kind of state is Fang in now?" he asked me.

I turned to Fang, looking down. Mom could no longer up the dose to keep the fever down. This was it. He was weak. Weaker than yesterday. Fang could talk, but he couldn't take in solid food anymore. Then again, he wasn't hungry either.

"He's dying, Jeb," I told him flatly. "What more is there to say?"

"Is he responsive?"

Iggy interjected. "What does it matter?"

"The last stage before death is falling into a coma." Jeb's eyes fell on Fang. "It's basically the end. Death is inevitable in the next twenty-four hours."

And then an idea hit me. I collapsed into the chair. "No, he hasn't been responding since yesterday."

Jeb blinked. "I will be back tomorrow, Max. I will save you and then you will come with me in return."

He turned, leaving us.

"Why did you lie…lie to him, Max?" Fang croaked.

"Don't you realize he's going to bring the cure right to us tomorrow?" I said, trying to figure things out in my head. "We're going to save you, Fang."

"Save…save yourself first, Max."

Iggy cut in. "So you're saying we're going to lie to Jeb so he'll give you the cure and you're going to give it to Fang?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying," I replied.

"And then what about you?"

"If I…If I die," I told him slowly. "Then you'll all be safe. Jeb only wants me."

"Max…" Fang couldn't get his words out. "No…"

But I made my decision and nothing was going to change it.

* * *

**On a lighter note, I'll be off to Comic Con this weekend in New York. Are any of you going to be there?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Between Us – Chapter 5**

By MyNameIsCAL

**DAY 9 (DAY 3 for MAX):**

I felt tired, but nothing else seemed to be bothering me. Maybe it was because I was anxious. Jeb would be here soon.

"So we're going to fake his death?" Gazzy was looking to help, but it would be hard for any of them to do anything.

"Fang will unhook himself from the heart rate monitor," I explained. "When Jeb gets the cure in here, I'll give it to Fang."

Fang had given up on persuading me not to.

Gazzy opened his mouth to say something, but the basement door opened and Nudge took a few steps down the stairs.

"He's here."

I sucked in a breath and took a seat next to the bed. Fang slipped his hand into mine.

"I love you, Fang," I whispered, kissing him on the forehead. "We'll find a way to make it."

Fang closed his eyes, squeezing my hand the best that he could. "I…love you too…Max."

I gave him a small smile and he closed his eyes, putting his hand over the cord connected to the monitor. As soon as Jeb came down, he would pull it, tricking Jeb into thinking he was dead, even though he was alive and well, breathing.

"Max, I have the cure."

Fang pulled it and the monitor start to show Fang was flat lining. I leaned my head against the bed, pretending to be upset.

"Max, you need to take this." There was a sense of urgency in his voice. "I need you to get better as soon as possible. It'll take a while for you to recover, even with the cure."

I turned and threw myself at the glass. "YOU KILLED HIM JEB!"

"I'm sorry, Max, but you need to take this. There's nothing more you can do for him." Jeb started towards the decontamination chamber. "I'm going to place it in here. You come and get it. Find a vein and inject it in."

I made my way slowly towards the door. Fang was wrapped in the blanket, his breathing undetectable to anyone farther than I was. Jeb set a box down on the floor and stepped out. After the door locked on his side, it was my turn to enter the chamber.

The box was light and I brought it back to the chair next to Fang's bed.

"In a vein, Max. There should be a rubber strip in there," Jeb said quickly.

"Shut up, Jeb!" I growled. "I know what I'm doing."

And then I uncovered Fang's arm. There was a vein there, right where it bent. I plunged the syringe in and Fang winced briefly.

"Max, what are you doing?" Jeb pounded against the glass. "He's dead!"

Fang opened his eyes.

"No he's not." I turned back to Jeb, dropping the empty syringe.

"I…I don't have another cure for you!" Jeb stuttered, now thrown off guard. "You can't die! The formula for it…It was all trying and guessing! I can't piece it back together, I can't…"

"I don't care what happens to me." I stood right in front of him, the only barrier the glass. "You can't just expect me to give in that easily. I'd rather die than help you!"

"You're making a mistake!" Jeb ran his fingers through his now receding hair. "Throwing your life away will set everything back for years. You don't understand, Max! You're the key to saving the world!"

"Then I must be a selfish person."

Jeb stared, wide eyed. "I have to go. I have to find a way to fix this and your stupidity!"

He dashed away, faster than I could ever remember him ever moving. I fell back into the chair, hearing the heart rate monitor start to blip again as Fang plugged it back in. When I finally turned to face him, there were tears rolling down his face. The flock was gathering around the other side of the glass.

"It's over, guys." I turned my back to them.

* * *

**DAY 10:**

Mom swabbed my mouth and ran off to her office. It had been four days since I had been there, that was 72 hours more that I had been exposed to the virus without symptoms compared to Fang.

"Maybe…you're not…infected." Fang leaned his head against me. He still had a fever, and I knew it would take a while for him to get better, but somehow I felt he seemed better than yesterday.

I had taken my temperature several times today. It was where it was supposed to be at, and now we sat around waiting for Mom to return with the results determining whether I was infected or not.

Iggy tapped on the glass and then pressed the button, warning us before his voice blasted through our confined space. Nudge stood next to him with a tray of food.

"Are you hungry?" Iggy asked us.

"Ask him if he has any cookies," Fang muttered.

Nudge came down the stairs, holding another smaller plate, cookies on them.

"They're fresh," Iggy grinned.

They put the food inside the chamber, leaving me to go fetch it after they cleared the area. I brought the tray to the table. We were going to start with the cookies.

"I gotta feed the rest of the flock," Iggy said, his hand hovering over the button. "They'll probably come down later. Well, hopefully Mom will be home soon."

I nodded and he pressed the button, taking Nudge's hand as they went up the stairs.


	6. Chapter 6

**Between Us – Chapter 6**

By MyNameIsCAL

**DAY 11:**

"Max…wake up."

My eyes fluttered open. Fang's eyes met mine, briefly, and then he lay back on his back, pulling his arm around me. As weak as he was, I felt like he was crushing me against him.

"Fang, what's wrong?" I asked, trying to settle my head against him.

"Mom came down when you were sleeping last night." He had to talk into my ear so I could hear him, but he was speaking more fluently than yesterday. "The results…They were…They were negative, Max. You're gonna be okay. We're…gonna be okay."

I closed my eyes, tears starting to dampen Fang's shirt.

He smoothed out my hair, repeating, "We're gonna be okay."

* * *

**DAY 12:**

Fang was weak, no doubt, but he had some strength back. He had never been the one to talk much, but now that he could, we spent a lot of time talking. Until he was clear of all symptoms, we would be stuck behind this wall so the others couldn't accidentally get infected. It was hard, but it felt better to know that we were going to be okay.

The rest of the flock sat on the other side of the glass. There were still other things to worry about.

"Jeb is going to come back," Angel reminded me. "And he'll think that you're dead or dying."

"Then what do you suggest?" I questioned.

Fang was trying to sit up, but I put a hand on his shoulder. He coughed a few times, no longer producing blood as he had a few days ago.

"What if we like, faked Max's death?" Gazzy suggested.

Nudge rolled her eyes. "That's a stupid idea."

"Hey, that's enough guys," Iggy snapped.

Fang cleared his throat and I leaned down so he could speak without straining his voice. "I think…it'll work."

"What did he say?" Iggy asked.

"He says he think it'll work," I reiterated.

Nudge let out a sigh.

Angel had her eyes on Fang. "I know what he's thinking. Should I tell them, Fang?"

He nodded.

"Fang thinks if one of us contacts Jeb and says that Max is dead that he'll leave us alone, at least long enough for us to get away," Angel told us. "We'll all have to act upset, of course, and then once he's gone, once Fang has recovered, we'll go."

"But where will we go?" Nudge frowned. "I like it here. I want to be normal, Max."

"We don't get to live that life where we get to be normal," Gazzy pointed out.

She let out a sigh.

"It doesn't matter where we go." I looked at all of them. "It matters that we're going to be together and we're going to be safe."

* * *

**DAY 13:**

There was an empty cabinet in our confinement that was big enough for me to fit in. Mom knew our plan, and she stuck around today to make sure when Jeb came, he wouldn't stick around too long.

Through the small crack, I could see Fang on the bed. He sat up, arms shaking as he did.

"Jeb just pulled in the driveway." That was Angel's voice, but I couldn't see the other side of the glass.

"Alright," Fang said.

"I'll stay here?" Angel asked.

Fang nodded and I heard the scraping of a chair through the speaker system. It wasn't long before the basement door opened, footsteps coming down the creaky wooden stairs.

"Where is she?" That was Jeb's voice.

"Well, Jeb, she's dead," Fang's eyes were on the floor. "And you killed her."

"She killed herself!" Jeb shot back. "Because she cared about you too much."

Fang's eyes flickered to Jeb. "You shouldn't have tried to kill me. Maybe things would have worked out."

Jeb let out a laugh. "You're joking, right?"

"Your plan backfired anyway," Angel remarked.

That made Jeb mad. "Where is Max?"

"Why, you still think you can save her, Jeb?" Fang let out a deep breath. "She died faster than I was going to. She wouldn't let us give her medication, she wouldn't eat. Max slipped into a coma before I could even say goodbye."

"Where is she?" Jeb repeated.

"Why the hell do you want to know where Max is?" Iggy suddenly roared. "She's dead and we need to move on. Wherever she is, it's better than being here."

"Then what did you do with her body?" Jeb questioned.

"We burned it." Fang laid back, no longer able to sit up. "She's gone, Jeb."

I heard footsteps and then the basement door slam. Fang sat back up, grabbing the keys off the table and staggering towards me. He kneeled down with a loud thud and unlocked the cabinet.

"Jeez, Fang, you could have waited for Mom to come," I told him, helping him up.

He had his weight on me. "Nah, I'm okay, Max."

"C'mon, let's get you back to bed," I said.

* * *

The flock came down after eating lunch. It was like Jeb had never come at all. I thanked them for making it seem like I was dead, but they told me that this was for me just as much as it was for them too.

"You know Jeb will find a way to find us even after we leave here," Angel sighed. "He'll still want to keep tabs on us, he'll eventually find a reason to need us."

"I know." It wasn't like we could all pretend to be dead.

"We'll just have to keep our act together," Fang said quietly.

"So where are we going to go?" Nudge questioned us.

"We'll get out of here first, then we'll worry about where we're going," I told them. "But for now, let's enjoy the rest of our time here."

They all seemed to be in agreement with that.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! I'll be away this week to visit some family. But Happy Halloween to those of you who celebrate! For those of you who follow my other stories, you can expect updates to resume on Saturday. If I get the chance though, I'll definitely post new chapters though.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Between Us – Chapter 7**

By MyNameIsCAL

**DAY 14:**

The clock said it was eight in the morning and it looked like the sun was out through the small window just at the top of the wall on the other side of the glass. Fang had his arms around me, his fever finally was showing signs of letting up.

"I can't wait to fly again," he told me softly.

"Me too."

"You can't expect me to believe that you have no idea where we'll go once we leave."

I felt myself smile. Fang knew me too well. "I was actually thinking we'd go back to California. Stop and see of those hawks are still there."

"That sounds like a plan," he replied.

**DAY 15 and Beyond:**

Fang was walking again, slowly. His appetite was back and Iggy had cooked up a storm for all of us. They set up a table on the other side of the wall and we ate dinner together as a flock for the first time in what seemed like forever.

"I got cookies to stick in the oven for dessert." Iggy gave us a toothy grin.

But behind all the smiles and laughs was pain. And only now did I realize that our days were numbered here. We couldn't stay and as soon as Fang was strong enough, we would go.

Which meant saying goodbye to Mom and Ella. It was foolish of us to have gotten so attached. The world was still out there and we knew Jeb was still scheming away. He let his own son die for his work. There was no telling what he would do to us, after pretending to care for us. He was a traitor, and I hoped that he thought about it from time to time and it burned his heart. But I'm sure he never even thought about it. To him, we were just another set of experiments now. And we meant nothing more than mice in a maze.

Later that night, Iggy sat on the other side of the glass, Fang and I on the bed together, talking about our plans. It only seemed right to include him after he had looked after the others while we were behind here.

"We'll let Jeb find us," said Fang, his hand entwined in mine. "I mean, we won't tell him, but when he finds us, because he will eventually, we'll just have to find a way to keep him from finding Max."

"But he doesn't even announce when he shows up here." Iggy stretched his arms, stifling a yawn. "What makes you think we could just hide Max in that amount of time? We won't even have a place to stay, and I know you don't want to be on the run all the time. We were supposed to have some peace being here."

I thought long and hard. Iggy was right. We needed a better plan.

"Well, we're going to need to find a place," I said after a moment. "Someplace with a basement, or something. We could get a hidden room. Hide me in there whenever he shows up. Something quick, but something not noticeable."

"Like a hidden safe?" Fang suggested. "We could like, hide behind a bookshelf or a painting or something."

"Yeah, I guess sorta." I didn't really know what I had in mind, and I was tired too.

Iggy rubbed his eyes. "Well, we just gotta get away from here first without Jeb seeing you or tracking us. I'm gonna sleep now. We'll figure it out in the morning."

He stood, muttering goodnight, and trudged up the stairs. Fang took my hand, and I rested against him as he pulled the blankets over us.

"Don't worry," was the last thing he said before I feel asleep. "It'll work out. We'll find a way."

* * *

It took a week for things with Fang to smooth out. He wasn't quite used to being up and getting around again, but he was happy to no longer be trapped behind a glass wall. But our plan was complete now. The only thing left to do was actually carry it out.

"Iggy and me will leave first in the middle of the night," I explained to the rest of the flock.

"Why not Fang?" Nudge questioned.

I glanced at Fang and then answered. "Because it makes less sense for us to be travelling together. If I was with Fang, it would be a dead giveaway."

"But Jeb thinks you're dead."

Fang grunted. "It's just a precaution."

Iggy grinned. "Don't you worry, Fnick, we promise to keep it PG."

Fang elbowed him, but I think Nudge was more concerned about Iggy being with _me_ more than Fang was worried about me being with _Iggy_.

"Anyway…" I cleared my throat. "The rest of you will leave with Fang. And we'll meet up at our chosen destination. In case someone is following us, or you just get the feeling you're being watched, Fang and I mapped out a couple of places to divert to until you think it's safe."

"The trip really should only take two days," Fang added. "But between our two groups, we've agreed that we'll have an extra day in case we have to divert."

"If something happens, find a safe place, and if you can, make it back to Mom's." I looked around at them, checking for their understanding. "But we're not expecting problems. Jeb is fuming over his loss. You know how he gets when he's angry and frustrated."

They nodded.

"Alright then, pack your bags. Iggy and I will leave tonight. You'll follow in the morning a few hours later."

* * *

I stood in the backyard with Iggy. He was a whole foot taller than me almost, and I tried to straighten my posture, something we all unconsciously did when we stood next to Iggy.

"So, you ready?" He shifted his weight, and for a moment, I felt that he was anxious.

"Yeah, let's go."

We took a few steps forward, and then unfurled our wings.

The flying went slowly. I spent most of the time telling Iggy what we were flying over, and half the time it was dirt and trees and I ended up making up things, like cars and signs, and there were some, just not as many as I said, but I was bored too. We spent the night in some tree branches and woke early after checking our surroundings. By sundown, we had reached the cliff and cave, hawks flying as they had been years ago.

"So…" Iggy landed next to me. "Shall we set up for the night? I'll start a fire."

I glanced at him and then back out to the sunset. "Yeah, that'd be great, Ig."

* * *

It was almost the end of the third day and Fang and the others hadn't arrived yet. Iggy was trying to distract me with food now. He had packed cookies that he and Mom had made, but I told them to save them for the flock when they arrived.

If they arrived.

"Max, chill out." Iggy was running his fingers along the cave wall. "He'll be here soon, I promise."

I frowned at him.

"No seriously, Max. I can hear them. Just…look out in the distance. You'll see them."

Night was already falling, but I scanned the horizon and spotted them. Iggy disappeared into the cave, starting the fire up and getting the food out.

"Why do you look so worried?" Fang pulled me into embrace as soon as he landed.

I closed my eyes, squeezing him. "I don't know."

He kissed my forehead and then gazed over at the sun that was now almost gone.

"You know, when I thought I was going to die," Fang whispered, taking my hand. "I wanted to ask you to bring my ashes here to scatter."

"I was thinking of this place too," I admitted.

He gave me a small smile, and with that, we returned to the flock, uncertainty still disrupted the balance of our peace, but once more, we were together and safe again.

For now.

* * *

**This is the end. But I'm writing up a sequel called **_**Someday We'll Lead Normal Lives**_**. I've got that all planned out, so it'll be a nice continuation of this. I just felt the title would no longer fit as to what's going, and for those people who haven't read this story, they can still read it and follow along without reading **_**Between Us**_**.**

**Thanks for reading and sticking with the story. Seven chapters is the shortest I've written so far, but I'm quite satisfied how this one turned out. Honestly, I wrote this one out in the span of a week. I knew that from start to finish, there'd be a second part to this madness. I hope you'll enjoy what you've read, and what you'll be reading next.**

**Happy holidays to those of you who are celebrating!**

**-MyNameIsCAL**


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